Human Emotion
by RenaYumi
Summary: [oneshot] YxU 'Why would I want to be human? It’s obvious that you would have taken greater pleasure in the death of this human I posses than if you were to kill me yourself. Human emotions are useless. That’s why you’re so easy to manipulate.'


**Human Emotion**

This is the combined talent of myself and **Yumi-Ulrich4ever. Hope you enjoy!**

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**Y**umi had William Clone by the arm, dragging him around the corner of the math building. They were late for lunch; again. William steps fell more evenly with hers today; she chalked it up, thankfully, to Jeremie modifying the tower. At least he seemed like a human.

"You better hope no one notices me dragging you around. This tends to look suspicious," she mumbled to him. She swore she saw him smirk as they came around the corner of the cafeteria.

'Idiotic William clone. This is all Xana's fault, the jerk is making me late for lunch.' She ranted to herself as she continued to pull him towards her friends, when she spotted them at their usual table.

Ulrich looked up from the table to the girl, choosing to ignore William. It's not like he would notice anyway.

"Hi Yumi. How're you?" The disgruntled look on her face made it all the more fun to smile around her. Aelita scooted down for the end of the table next to Jeremie, freeing up two seats for her friend.

"Just. Wonderful." She said in aggravation. She led 'William' to a seat and sat down next to Aelita and sighed.

"Hiya Yumi!" Odd said as he too made himself a place at the table and sat down with his tray stockpiled with food, as usual. She rolled her eyes, but smiled a little at his slight insanity.

"Jeremie. My friend, my love, my dear." Ulrich cocked an eyebrow at Yumi's endearments. "How much longer must I drag around Frankenstein?" She never actually thought she'd miss William.

Jeremie looked at her curiously while Odd and Ulrich just laughed.

"Is there something wrong with the William clone?" He asked, slightly confused.

Ulrich could think of a few things wrong with it. Like the fact it now took up all of Yumi's free time; seeing as how she had to drag it around and make sure no one became suspicious of him. Yes, he was jealous of a high-tech hologram.

"Yes. It gives the creeps," Yumi answered in fake cheeriness. It was Jeremie's turn to laugh.

"Well, I'm sorry that he 'gives you the creeps' Yumi, but I can't really do anything about that. I would say one of us could deal with him, but you're the only one in his class."

"Way to take one for the team, Yumi." Odd grinned, fork halfway to his mouth. His full attention then turned to his lunch tray. The older girl sighed as Jeremie was sucked back into his work on his laptop, Aelita working over his shoulder, and Ulrich avoiding her eyes at all costs.

She released another quick sigh and looked up to the brunette, desperately trying to get his attention, and failed miserably.

She made a mental note of never getting stuck with one of Jeremie's copies ever again. He couldn't even carry on decent conversation when she was completely bored and ignored by her, otherwise busy, friends. If she hadn't of been so bored, she probably wouldn't have noticed the William clone get up and start to walk out the cafeteria doors. However, she did and rolled her eyes.

"Just my luck..." she muttered to no one in particular as she got up to go retrieve him. "I'll be right back, guys." She said over her shoulder, but wasn't sure if any of them had heard her either way.

She pushed open the double doors with a little more force than she actually needed, but it vented a bit of her frustration.

"Where is that.." she trailed off, looking down the hall. "William?" She sighed as she started walking. "Dunbar, you were the worst idea I ever agreed to." She noticed someone behind her and glanced over her shoulder nonchalantly. There was no one there. She gave a puzzled look to the empty hall behind her. "I could've sworn..." She shook her head to clear it of whatever illusions it was filled with and continued, but only managed to get a little ways down the hall before she felt the presence behind her again. This time she didn't slow her pace. Her paranoia was surely a product of an overactive imagination and too much time on her hands. "William? Where did you go?" She glanced down the nearest corridor and something caught her eye from behind.

Before she could move, a tight grip settled on her shoulder and over her mouth, muffling her cries of attempts to knock out her opponent.

She calmed her mind and took a wider stance. She pulled her arms forward and back into her attackers chest in one swift move. She heard a chuckle in response.

"Yumi, is that anyway to say hello to an old friend?"

She couldn't keep the gasp from escaping her throat.

"W-William?" She said shakily, completely taken off guard; something she wasn't used to. She shook off the feeling; she had been tricked. "William you dirty slime," she growled. She briefly wondered where William clone was.

"I guess that means you didn't miss me?" William asked sarcastically. She felt sick to her stomach when she realized he was pushing her towards the empty corridor.

"No, I guess that means I didn't," she said harshly through gritted teeth while still struggling to escape his grasp. This Xana-strength thing was really starting to get annoying. With one hand he was holding both of her wrists, and the other hand had moved to the small of her back. "You're a real ass, you know that?" She silently wondered if the gang realized she wasn't back yet.

"Aww Yumi, your words are so hurtful. I really just don't know how I feel about such an insult coming from you. And I thought you'd be happy to see me." He laughed mockingly.

"Get your disgusting hands off of me," She snarled dangerously. William sighed in exasperation.

"Don't make me zap you unconscious. Here I thought we could talk a bit before I killed you and your little friends." He tightened his grip, painfully, on the Japanese girl. "It'd be so much more fun that way." Yumi contemplated biting his ear off.

"Alright. Lets talk. I hate this. I hate Xana and I especially hate you! And if you don't take your disgusting hands off of me this instant I'll-" He snickered.

"You'll what, Yumi? Beat me up?" He laughed again as she, once again, tried to escape his clutches and, once again, was denied her freedom. "I'm shaking in my shoes." The raven-haired girl growled and opened her mouth to scream but was cut short when she felt a shock run through her body and then everything went black. Her last conscious thought was that she never wanted to hear her name on his lips ever, _ever, _again. Her body went limp in his arms. William sighed, eyes flashing for a brief second. "Always the stubborn one, aren't you?" He carried her the rest of the way down to corridor to the empty wing of Kadic.

Back in the cafeteria, Ulrich looked up from his uneaten lunch to find the source of his thoughts to be missing.

"Hey guys, where'd Yumi go?" His heart skipped a beat when he realized the other member missing as well. "Where's the William copy?"

Jeremie glanced up, blood running cold when he noticed the same thing Ulrich had.

"She was just there," he said, blinking perplexedly. Aelita looked around the crowded cafeteria.

"Is it acting prematurely if we run a scan now?" she asked the blonde quietly.

"Make that a scan for Yumi's cell phone. I'll go find her while you guys run the scan of Lyoko," Ulrich ordered. Ironic. Yumi was normally the one to take control. The brunette nearly jumped out of his chair and raced down the hallway without even waiting for Jeremie to tell him which way he should go. "Where could she have gone off to?" He whispered frantically to himself. His cell phone rang in his back pocket.

"Did you get a lock?"

"She's in the vacant wing. She's moving so I can't get a fixed position." Ulrich sighed.

"Thanks Jer. Lyoko?" He was running at an even pace towards the empty wing of classrooms.

"Aelita wants to manually scan the main platforms. Odd's going with her."

"That idiot! I'll kill him, clone or not! I can't believe he has the nerve to take off with Yumi and if he even dares to lay a finger on her I'll knock his head off and..." He continued to go on about all the brutal ways he would punish the replica as he searched every spare classroom as quickly as he could. It was so much easier in horror films when it was the room with the ominous glow. Finally, with much pent up frustration, he kicked open the last door of the hall. William leaned with a cocky grin against a large desk in the front of the room. Yumi was curled up in the far corner facing the wall, arms wrapped around her torso. The slight rise and fall of her chest reassured Ulrich she was still alive. So many thoughts ran through his head at that moment but only one sentence escaped the chaotic mass of thoughts. "I. Will. _Kill_. You."

He realized he was no longer dealing with a replica-gone-bad when William's eyes flashed Xana's sign.

"You can't. You're weak and Xana's power makes me unstoppable. Should I kill you first and be nice? Or let you watch while I kill her?" He shifted his weight off of the desk lazily. "Either, or I'll enjoy." He voice was laced with a hint of dry monotone Ulrich barely picked up in his rage. Ulrich lunged forward towards him, catching William a little off guard and knocked him into the white wall, hard.

"If you think you can mess with Yumi and get away with it, you're sadly mistaken." He spat the words at the older boy fiercely. William shoved Ulrich back with no effort.

"Are you addressing William? Silly human. You let your _feelings _get in the way of your primary objectives." His eyes pulsed red. "You are the mistaken one." Ulrich gritted his teeth.

"We'll see about that."

Meanwhile…

"Aelita, Odd; you have company." Jeremie typed at the keyboard, readying the vehicles.

"We noticed!" Odd growled. Two megatanks rolled up behind them. "Laser arrow!" Odd shouted as he jumped on his overboard.

"The tower's north of you. Hurry, I don't know what's going on with Ulrich." Aelita's wings opened as she took a running start.

"We're hurrying."

Ulrich tried to regain his breath after William landed a punch to his stomach. He got back on his feet with some effort. William, under Xana's control, contorted his face in confusion.

"Why are you wasting your time? Her life is no more important than yours; is she worth your death?"

"Of course she is! I love her!" He spoke brokenly after getting the wind knocked out of him again. "Now shut up and die!" Xana chuckled.

"I'll never die, my dear boy. Viruses don't die." He grabbed Ulrich up by the throat, tilting his head to the side. "Why would I want to be human? It's obvious that you would have taken greater pleasure in the death of this human I posses than if you were to kill me yourself. Human emotions are useless. That's why you're so easy to manipulate."

"I hate _both_ of you," He growled before gasping slightly when the grip on his throat was tightened, beginning to cut of oxygen. Yumi stirred in the corner, weakly glancing over her shoulder at the display. Her hair fell in her eyes and she let out a mute shriek in surprise. Ulrich's eyes begged her to stay silent. She focused her energy and shakily pulled herself to her feet; bracing herself against the wall with her shoulders.

"Put him _down, _Xana," she growled. Surging red eyes jerked over in surprise to the third voice in the room.

"You silly girl. Now you've interrupted my plans again. Now I'm torn between which one of you I should kill off first." He glanced back at Ulrich, who was losing color in his face, but still glaring with rage at XANA.

"Sorry to inconvenience you." She smirked sarcastically at him and made her move. More clumsily, and less impressive than she hoped. She landed a sloppy kick to the back of William's knee. Xana's grip slipped slightly, giving Ulrich just enough room for a breath before he took control of the fight.

"You guys, please hurry. I can't get a hold of Yumi or Ulrich and I'm getting worried," Jeremie spoke frantically from the super-computer.

"Don't worry Einstein; I'm sure they're fine."

"Odd's right, Jeremie. I see the tower, it's just up ahead!" Aelita pointed to the far end of the platform. "Give us thirty seconds."

"Pathetic, weak, humans." William gasped for air from Ulrich's blow. Ulrich rubbed his neck. Yumi was hitting the speed dial on her phone while she had the chance; only barking a quick, 'We're alive; hurry!' at Jeremie before hanging up.

"Sure; why waste your time with us then?" Ulrich picked up his fighting stance again. The energy seemed to leave William's shoulders; his fists loosened. The red in his eyes faded back to their piercing brown.

"You're not good enough for her," he muttered. In a second he was smoke, disappearing out the cracked window. Ulrich walked over to Yumi.

"You okay?" She gave a quick nod.

"Are _you_ okay?" She sat down on the ground, exhausted. He sat down next to her.

"Better now than I was ten minutes ago. Don't be stealing off with William, would you? You had me scared to death." Yumi blushed at his statement.

"Right; sorry. I er.. Heard what you said to Xana."

"You heard me say what? That I hate his freaking existence and I-" He thought for a moment, before his pale cheeks flushed crimson. "Oh...that...Listen, Yumi...I-"

"I-it's ok. I'm glad you said it." Her hair fell in her eyes. "Is that why you always do stupid things to come save me? He could have killed you in a second." Ulrich sighed, shifting a bit closer.

"You could say that," he said with a trace of sarcasm in his voice. He sighed again, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now. Yumi tried not to let the tears that had begun to form in her eyes spill as she pulled a shaky breath, laying her head on his shoulder. His smell calmed her a bit.

"Thank you," she said smally. His eyes widened with confusion.

"For what?" Yumi shivered, body still in shock for the electric current William had hit her with. Ulrich wrapped his arm around her carefully.

"For coming for me."

"Of course. I'll always come for you."

"Yeah? He was.. He was really going to kill me," she whispered. He felt her curl against him tighter. He moved his hand, forming circles on her back in hopes of calming her a bit.

"You're alright, Yumes. Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you again." if she hadn't have believed him right away, the gentleness evident in his voice would have forced her to. She closed her eyes, nuzzling her face against his shoulder.

"I love you, too," she whispered. "I'm sorry it had to go this far before I could admit it." She felt so small leaning into him. It was something she could get used to. He smiled, a little surprised by her confession, but happy either way.

"I guess we're both stubborn, huh?" He laughed lightly, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"That one was a bit obvious." Yumi squeezed his hand gently and looked up at him with a small smile. He sighed.

"I think we were the obvious one." She blushed.

"Well, maybe you were." The pink tint in her cheeks made him smile brighter.

"Maybe." Steadying herself with her free hand, she gently pressed a kiss to his lips, blushing furiously in the process. Ulrich took a second to react; eyes wide and face flushed, he leaned in, kissing her back. He gently released his hand from hers and instead ran it through ebony hair while Yumi snaked her arm around his neck. She applied pressure to his lips, deepening the kiss and sending shivers through her skin. The butterflies in Ulrich's stomach doubled as she shivered against him. His mind started to shut down as he felt her tongue flick across his lips; he let out an involuntary moan. After a moment more, they pulled away, breathing heavily, cheeks flushed and smiling shyly at one another. "Yumes.. We need to go. The others don't know we're still alive, you know?" She nodded, sitting back down on the tile floor. Her face felt like it was on fire. It was only then that she realized her chest hurt. Coughing, she stumbled to her feet, holding her hand out for Ulrich. He took it gratefully, but refused to let her use her strength to help him up. She was already worn out from the day and he wasn't willing to push her any farther.

Yumi smiled, face returning to color as she leaned against him. She stumbled clumsily for the first few steps. Ulrich laughed quietly at her, steadying her. He walked a little slower than normally so she could keep up. He jumped when his mobile went off in his pocket.

"Hello?"

"ULRICH? Did you find Yumi? Are you guys alright? What's going on?" He had to fight back a laugh at the speed Jeremie was talking.

"We're ok." He smiled at the girl next to him.

"Even better than ok," Yumi leaned her head in near the phone. Jeremie sighed.

"Could you have taken a little longer? We were worried you were dead." Ulrich laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry Einstein, we were...caught up in something..." he said blushing like crazy. "We're fine, no need to worry. Everything okay there?"

"Caught up in something?" Jeremie gaped for a moment, in disbelief that the two most responsible people he knew could forget to do something as simple as picking up a phone. "Everything's.. fine.. Here."

"Bye Jer." Yumi took the phone and hung it up. She reached her arm around Ulrich, sticking the phone in his back pocket and leaving her arm around his waist.

"You won't be needing that right now," she teased before kissing his cheek.

"For entirely how long?" He glanced at another empty class suggestively. Yumi laughed, tugging him towards her a little more.

"You're mine for the rest of the afternoon, Stern."

"Whatever you say."


End file.
